Fireplace heater



Nov. 3, 1936. H, E SW H 2,059,539

FIREPLACE HEATER Filed June 10; 19:55 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 1 75 2/ j v w lnvenlor I z". 632232 72 A ltorney ,Nov. 3, 1936. H. E. SMITH FIREPLACE HEATER Filed June 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnucnlor $272 ZZZ/Z 4,-

Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 10,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a fireplace heater.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a masonry fireplace structure that utilizes the heat that would ordinarily escape through 5 the chimney and distributes this heat that is ordinarily wasted through the room in which the fireplace is located.

Further objects of the invention are to construct a fire grate for the fireplace :that has a 1 ledge around the side and back wall of the firebox to seal the lower end of the flue and force the draft through the firebox, and that is very simple in operation and construction; and that is comparatively inexpensive to install.

15 With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists of a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein 2 is disclosed an embodiment of the invention,

but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the claims "hereunto appended.

25 In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote cor-responding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the fireplace heater constructed in accordance with the pres- 30 cut invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line .2-2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is .a vertical sectional View through the fireplace heater taken substantially on the plane of line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is .a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 3.

40 Figure '5 is a fragmentary vertical section through the fiue wall taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A indicates the fireplace heater constructed of ma- 45 sonry resting on the fioor I in the room of the building. It will be understood that the floor in the area of the bottom of the fireplace will be formed of concrete or other heat resisting material that is used in the conventional practice 50 in the trade. The masonry structure or body A is formed with a vertical rear wall 8, a front wall 9 and opposite end walls I0, II. The front, rear, and end walls rest on the floor I. The masonry structure is further formed with spaced 55 partition walls l2, l3 bridging the space between 1935, Serial No. 25,867

the rear wall 8 and the front wall 9. The partition walls I2, l3 divide the masonry structure A into the lateral heat chambers l4, l5 and the intermediate flue l6. Adjacent the lower ends the partition walls I2, 13 are offset laterally to provide a relatively wide bottom in the flue Hi to receive the firebox as will hereafter appear. The bottom of the partition walls terminate above the fioor l to provide passages I1, 19 between the bottom of the heat chambers 14, I5 respectively and the flue 16. The bottoms of the partition walls are supported on metal cross bars 19, 29 anchored in the front and rear walls. In the bottom of front wall 9 is a substantially rectangular opening 2| with the bottom of the fiue l3 and in this opening is mounted the fire grate as will hereafter appear. At the top, the chambers l4, are closed by a blank wall formed from the masonry shoulders 22, 23 and these shoulders are sup- H ported by steel plates 24, 25 anchored in the top of the side walls H, I9 respectively. Shoulders 22, 23 merge with the chimney walls 26 that extend upwardly throughout the height of the building and these chimney walls provide a continuous passage for the escape of products of combustion from the fiue [6.

Near the top of each of the chambers l4, l5 are a pair of rectangular openings 21, 28 formed in the partition walls I2, l3. Each opening is controlled by a damper valve 29. Referring to Figure '5 of the drawings where one of the damper valve structures is specifically shown, it will be seen that the damper valve bridges the openings in the partition walls. Seated in the rear wall of the opening is a bearing thimble 30 that receives a trunnion 3i on the rear end of the damper valve "29. A bushing sleeve 32 is anchored in the front wall 9 and through this sleeve extends a trunnion 33 on the forward end of the damper valve 29. The trunnion 33 projects outwardly of the face of front wall 9 and has a handle 34 thereon by which the valves 29 may be adjusted as desired. For each heat chamber [4, l5 there are a pair of registers 35, 36 disposed one above the other, the lowermost register 35 being close to the floor level so that cold air from the fioor will be withdrawn from the room, circulated through the heat chambers and passed out of the top register 36 in the heated condition. In each register there are mounted the conventional shutters so that the passage of air through the registers into the heat chambers may be regulated or shut off entirely.

The fire grate is formed with a firebox B diswhich communicates posed in the opening 2| in the bottom of the flue IS. The firebox is formed with opposite, imperforate side walls 31 and an inclined rear wall 38 rising from spaced grate bars 39. The legs 40 on which the firebox is supported depend from the corners of the firebox and rest on the floor I. The grate bars 39 are spaced materially above the floor so that there is a continuous passage from the heat chambers l4, l at the bottom. A portion of the front wall of the firebox is formed of a grill consisting of longitudinally extending spaced rods 4! the opposite ends of which are anchored to the forward portions of the side walls 31. The forward edges of side walls 31 are secured to a U-shaped flange 42 that forms a frame about the edges of the opening 2|. The top of the firebox B has a cover plate 43 secured to the top edges of the rear wall 38 and the rear portion of the side walls 31 leaving an opening at the top of the firebox near the forward side thereof. The products of combustion are carried through this opening into the flue l6 and through the chimney. There is a continuous ledge 44 extending from the side walls 3'! and rear wall 38 which bears against the partition walls and the rear wall thereby forming a baffle to prevent air from passing between the fire box and the flue. This ledge forces the draft upwardly through the firebox.

The ledge 44 forms an abutment between the sides of the grate and the flue wall and forces the air to pass up through the grate bars 39 into the flue l6. The maximum heating effect in the room is produced when dampers are entirely closed and the registers 35, 36 in each heating chamber l4, [5 are open. When the room is too hot, it may be cooled by opening dampers 29 which primarily reduce but never equalize the draft in flue l6, and at the same time allows the hot air in chambers I4, I5 to pass up the chimney.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A fireplace heater comprising a masonry structure formed with front, rear and end walls resting on the floor of the building in which the heater is constructed, spaced partition walls bridging the space between the front and rear walls dividing the masonry structure into lateral heat chambers, and an intermediate flue, said partition walls terminating at the bottom in spaced relation to the floor to provide passages between the bottom of the fiue and the bottom of the heat chambers, said partition walls at the top of the heat chambers formed with valve controlled openings providing a communication between the heat chambers and the flue, said masonry structure further formed with a pair of outside valve controlled openings one above the other in each heat chamber, the front wall of the masonry structure formed with an opening communicating with the bottom of the flue, and a fire grate mounted in the opening at the bottom of the flue.

2. A fireplace heater comprising a masonry structure formed with front, rear and end walls resting on the floor of the building in which the heater is constructed, spaced partition walls bridging the space between the front and rear walls dividing the masonry structure into lateral heat chambers, and an intermediate flue, said partition walls terminating at the bottom in spaced relation to the floor to provide passages between the bottom of the flue and the bottom of the heat chambers, said partition walls at the top of the heat chambers formed with valve controlled openings providing a communication between the heat chambers and the flue, said masonry structure further formed with a pair of outside valve controlled openings one above the other in each heat chamber, the front wall of the masonry structure formed with an opening communicating with the bottom of the flue, a fire grate mounted in the opening at the bottom of the flue, and said fire grate including grate bars supported above the floor to form an unobstructed passage between the lower ends of the heat chambers.

3. A fireplace heater comprising a masonry structure having walls arranged to form lateral heat chambers and an intermediate flue the latter being open at the bottom, said masonry structure formed with a valve controlled opening in the top of each heat chamber communicating with the flue and another opening in the bottom communicating with the bottom of the flue, said masonry structure further formed with valve controlled openings one above the other in each heat chamber forming a communication between the heat chambers and the outside of the masonry structure, and a fire grate supported in the opening at the bottom of the flue.

4. A fireplace heater comprising a masonry structure having walls arranged to form lateral heat chambers and an intermediate flue the latter being open at the bottom, said masonry structure formed with a valve controlled open ing in the top of each heat chamber communieating with the flue and another opening in the bottom communicating with the bottom of the flue, said masonry structure further formed with valve controlled openings one above the other in each heat chamber forming a communication between the heat chambers and the outside of the masonry structure, a fire grate supported in the opening at the bottom of the flue, and means on the outside of the fire grate abutting the walls of the flue to force air to pass through the grate.

HENRY EDGAR SMITH. 

